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Porter lets loose
Porter
Philip G. Pavely/TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Slideshow: Porter in 2005
Was best pass-rusher in NFL.
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Joe Rutter can be reached via e-mail.
Then, he softened his stance and promised to keep his outspoken mouth in check.
Wednesday, he took that plan and threw it to the ground like a defenseless quarterback.
The Steelers' loquacious linebacker couldn't contain himself yesterday when he learned Seattle Seahawks tight end Jerramy Stevens predicted Jerome Bettis' return to Detroit would culminate with a Super Bowl loss.
"I've been asleep all week, but now, I got woke up," Porter said yesterday. "I've got my first taste of blood, and now I'm thirsty for more. Until now, it was, 'Watch what I say. I can't say this. I can't say that. Don't do anything silly.'
"I'm ready now."
The Super Bowl had been controversy-free until Stevens livened it up with a quote that was published yesterday in Seattle newspapers.
"It's a heartwarming story and all that," Stevens said, referring to Bettis' homecoming and impending retirement, "but it will be a sad day when he leaves without that trophy."
Porter can appreciate some spirited trash-talking, but evidently, not from someone with Stevens' modest credentials.
A 6-foot-7 former first-round pick now playing in his fourth season, Stevens had a career-best 45 catches for 554 yards and five touchdowns this season. By comparison, Steelers rookie tight end Heath Miller posted comparable numbers, besting Stevens by one touchdown.
"I feel like (Stevens), out of anybody, should know his role," Porter said. "I mean, he hasn't done anything to make anybody fear him. Jerome is a walking Hall-of-Fame guy that everybody knows about. This guy (Stevens) was almost a first-round bust, who barely made some plays this year.
"And he's going to have the nerve to say what Jerome isn't going to do? I'm going to make sure he doesn't have anything to do with the outcome of the game."
Stevens said yesterday he meant no disrespect to the Steelers, but he also didn't back down from his statement.
"We are not here to roll over for anybody," he said. "What I said, I meant it. I don't think I said anything too out-of-pocket. I just said we're here to win the game and, other than that, there's no reason to be here."
For his part, Bettis didn't have a problem with what Stevens said.
"I can understand where he's coming from because we think they're going to go home without the trophy," Bettis said. "That's just the nature of it. Somebody has got to win, and somebody has got to lose."
Stevens also predicted that Porter, a three-time Pro Bowl selection, wouldn't have an "easy day" in his matchup against six-time Pro Bowl left tackle Walter Jones.
"Now, I'm looking for him on game day; I'm looking for Stevens," Porter said. "He has to line up in front of me, and that information you gave me just got me started, so I'll be out there looking for him at the 50-yard line.
"That information will go a long way because Stevens can't hide from me. He has to line up in front of me, and I'll remind him of (what he said) every time I put him on his back."
When those words were relayed to Stevens yesterday, he smiled and said, "We'll see."
Stevens apparently was frustrated the Seahawks were installed as a 4-point underdog even though they were the No. 1 seed in the NFC after a 13-3 season.
"Yeah, it bothers me personally," he said. "I feel like we have the best team in the league all year long. Indy had a great run, but they're not here. We feel like we are the best team right now."
Other Steelers players shrugged off Stevens' comments as typical pregame hyperbole. Linebacker Clark Haggans shook his head and laughed when he heard what Stevens had said about Bettis.
"Everybody has their own opinion," he said. "They didn't come here to lose. We didn't come here to lose."
Safety Chris Hope has known Stevens since 2002. The two budding draft picks trained together at a New Orleans fitness facility prior to the scouting combine.
"Some guys use that stuff to motivate themselves, and that's the way they play, by disrespecting the team they're playing," Hope said. "But I know Jerramy, and I don't think he's that type of guy. I didn't think of him as a guy who was cocky."
Porter probably would disagree.
